Sara took a few deep breaths, hand on her chest as if that would be enough to steady the thundering beat of her heart, and set off on the short drive to the coffee shop. She was glad to park up and get out of the car. This new information changed everything. And there was something flickering in her mind, an elusive thought she was trying to grab hold of, but it was slippery as an eel and she couldn’t quite keep it in her grasp.

Caffeine. I need caffeine, she thought as she pushed open the door. Maybe then her mind would make the creative connection she needed.

When Hailey arrived a few minutes later, she found Sara sitting at the back of the coffee shop, where they could talk without being overheard.

‘Fiona and Matt?’ She almost spurted coffee all over the table when Sara told her. ‘That’s not something I would ever have imagined.’ Sara would have to agree that they weren’t two people you would naturally put together; two dominant characters who were more likely to fight than agree.

‘I know.’ She took a sip of her coffee, wondering whether she was jumping to conclusions. ‘She had an affair with James, though, so it’s not like she thinks her marriage is sacred.’

‘Her husband’s a lot older than her, isn’t he?’ Hailey said, blowing on her drink before taking another sip. ‘You know, when I’ve seen pictures of the two of them at charity dos, I always thought of her as a sort of trophy wife. She’s so glamorous and intelligent, isn’t she? Just the sort of woman a successful businessman would want on his arm.’

‘Hmm. I think she likes the money and status and living in that amazing house of theirs. But I get the feeling she’s happier when he’s away on business trips than when he’s home.’

‘You never know what goes on in other people’s marriages,’ Hailey said, with feeling, and Sara knew she was referring to her own experiences with a husband who was a serial cheater. ‘I mean, Matt’s a good-looking man. Maybe she decided to make a play for him. They see each other often enough at football, don’t they?’

Sara put her cup down, a new thought coming to mind. ‘The woman you saw getting out of Matt’s car the other night. Could that have been Fiona?’

Hailey narrowed her eyes as she thought, then nodded slowly. ‘You know, I think it might have been.’

Chapter Thirty-Three

Having convinced herself that Fiona and Matt were having an affair, Sara was more determined than ever to find out what Matt was doing with his business. She had told him all of her secrets. Now she needed to know his.